Leah Remini Sues Church Of Scientology, Says Leaders 'Stalked' And 'Harassed' Her
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Actor Leah Remini sued the Church of Scientology on Wednesday, accusing the organization and its leader of defamation and harassment and alleging they targeted her and others for speaking out against them.
The “King of Queens” star, who publicly broke ties with the church in 2013 after growing up as a member, says in the lawsuit that Scientology, leader David Miscavige and the institution’s Religious Technology Center led a decadelong harassment campaign against her.
Since Remini’s departure from the Church of Scientology, she has advocated for former members and others who were allegedly targeted after they spoke out against the church. She outlined her experiences with the church in a 2015 memoir and hosted and executive produced the docuseries “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.”
“For the past ten years, Ms. Remini has been stalked, surveilled, harassed,
threatened, intimidated, and, moreover, has been the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors via hundreds of Scientology-controlled and -coordinated social media accounts that exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation,” the lawsuit reads.
The Church of Scientology did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment regarding Remini’s allegations.
Leah Remini left the Church of Scientology in 2013.
According to the lawsuit, the church laid out a “counter attack” referred to as “Three Channel Handling” to go after so-called “suppressive” people who spoke out against its alleged abuse.
The lawsuit alleges that the church paid social media companies to “promote” misinformation about Remini, among other tactics used to harass and defame her. As a religious institution, Scientology funds are exempt from taxes, the lawsuit notes.
The actor’s lawsuit states that Scientology enlisted dozens of former and current members to record false statements about Remini and her family, which were posted publicly online.
Remini also accuses the organization of harassing, threatening, intimidating and embarrassing her friends and family.
The actor’s mother was a devoted member of the Church of Scientology since Remini was 8 years old, and often neglected her and her sister because of it, according to the lawsuit.
Remini alleges she was forced to join the church and sign a billion-year contract at the age of 13 requiring her to abandon her home and depriving her of a normal childhood.
“She was taught as a child to believe that her personal sacrifice would
save the planet,” the lawsuit reads. “Years of brainwashing and conditioning put Ms. Remini in a position where Scientology was the only reality for her.”
The lawsuit states that Remini was forced to pay thousands of dollars and devote hours of time to Scientology training, which allegedly involved verbal, physical and sexual abuse.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Remini said although the lawsuit is about how she was impacted by the Church of Scientology, her experience is shared by others who have spoken out.
“People who share what they’ve experienced in Scientology, and those who tell their stories and advocate for them, should be free to do so without fearing retaliation from a cult with tax exemption and billions in assets,” Remini said.
I wanted to share some important news.
After 17 years of harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and defamation, I am filing a lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige.
While advocating for victims of Scientology has significantly impacted my life and career,…— Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) August 2, 2023
In a statement obtained by HuffPost, the Church of Scientology called Remini’s lawsuit “ludicrous” and her allegations “pure lunacy.”
“Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when people exercise their right to free speech, exposing her for what she is — an anti-free speech bigot,” the statement said.
The statement also calls Remini a “horrible person” who has “profited handsomely” from speaking out against her former religious institution, through books, podcasts and interviews.
“The Church is not intimidated by Remini’s latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech,” the statement said. “If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia.”
